The Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) are currently fighting the Taliban in 104 provinces, the Afghan security agencies said on Tuesday, noting a 7 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Reflecting on the numbers of Taliban attacks across the country, Ahmad Zia Saraj, the head of the Afghan intelligence agency—the National Directorate of Security (NDS)--said that the militant group has launched 3,500 attacks since the start of the year. 

Pakistan is likely to host a conference on Afghanistan’s peace, and efforts are being made to hold the event at a high level between the Afghan government and the Taliban, sources from the Presidential Palace and the High Council for National Reconciliation said. 

The Taliban said they are not aware of any conference.